Community Assistance News

The city of Winston-Salem and the Housing Authority of Winston-Salem have agreed upon an action plan to address housing conditions and public safety concerns at the Rolling Hills Apartments, which are managed by the Housing Authority.

The action plan was developed and will be implemented by the Neighborhood Services Department, City-County Inspections, the Forsyth County Health Department, Forsyth County Animal Control, the Winston-Salem Police Department, and the Housing Authority.

These agencies inspected the apartments Feb. 6 under Operation Impact. Police officers made arrests during and resulting from the inspections. Those arrested were not the residents of Rolling Hills, but visitors to the property.

Neighborhood Services subsequently provided the Housing Authority with copies of all housing violations at the apartments.

Under the action plan:

The Housing Authority will contract out the electrical and plumbing repairs and use its maintenance staff to address other violations cited by Neighborhood Services.

The Housing Authority is restructuring its maintenance program by hiring a maintenance coordinator who will implement the new maintenance plan for properties owned or managed by the authority. Maintenance staff will be assigned to a particular development and be responsible for repairing that development only.

The Housing Authority will review any future repairs to determine the party responsible for the damage, i.e. maintenance staff (through inadequate repair work) or tenants, and hold them accountable. Repeat offenders will face eviction proceedings.

The Police Department will continue its research of occupants of Rolling Hills and provide evidence to the Housing Authority to support evictions where warranted.

In addition to this action plan for Rolling Hills, the Housing Authority has consented to make authority properties at Cleveland Avenue and Piedmont Circle available for training Police drug dogs.

In an unrelated matter, the Housing Authority is partnering with Neighbors for Better Neighborhoods and the Neighborhood Services Department to create a neighborhood association in Glen Oaks. The authority staff will also identify neighborhood associations which surround Housing Authority properties and encourage the occupants of their properties to join those neighborhood associations, incorporating their residence councils into the neighborhood.